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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28475058">A Midnight Kiss</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rickywrites/pseuds/rickywrites'>rickywrites</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: Legend of Korra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, First Kiss, Found Family, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Secret Crush, Smoking, Yearning, two old gays smoke a joint together on the new year</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 14:40:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,374</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28475058</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rickywrites/pseuds/rickywrites</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Lin prefers being alone on holidays. But she wouldn't say no to Kya's company on New Year's Eve as the clock counts down.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lin Beifong/Kya II</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>123</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Midnight Kiss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I decided to write this on New Year's Eve 2020 and went for it! Last fic of the year! All kudos and comments are much appreciated.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s around a quarter to midnight when Lin decides to make her quiet exit from the party. Air Temple Island hasn’t had this many people on New Year’s Eve in ages, and the commotion, while endearing, is too much for her. It’s too much excitement and affection all at once – something too much like family, which scares her.</p><p>Her boots clinks against stone, but luckily no one hears her over the commotion. Korra has challenged Mako to a push-up contest, and everyone else counts and cheers. Counting up now, while in a few minutes they’ll be counting down to midnight. Lin hasn’t stuck around for midnight in years now, and she isn’t about to start now.</p><p>Her hair whips about her face as she turns a corner and heads to the airbender amphitheater, a huge circular indent in the island that was crowded and raucous whenever there was play and was her go-to spot to be alone otherwise. She steps into the center, and she hears the lonely click of her steel boots echo around her.</p><p>A movement up above, high in the audience rows. A flash of familiar gray hair.</p><p>“What are you doing out here, Kya?”</p><p>“What are you doing here, Chief Beifong?” Kya calls back playfully. “Looking for someone to kiss by midnight?”</p><p>Lin’s lips almost twitch up into a small smile. “I asked first.” When Kya just raises her eyebrows back at her, she sighs. “I’m just securing the perimeter.” That’s not a complete lie.</p><p>Kya doesn’t look like she buys it, but she doesn’t push. She seems happy enough to have company. Happy enough to not question it.</p><p>“What about you, Kya?” Lin asks, trying to sound casual.</p><p>She breathes in, looking like she’s trying to come up with an answer. But instead of giving one, she just exhales and digs her hands into her fluffy coat pockets.</p><p>“I was gonna lie, but I got nothing. I’m out here to smoke this.”</p><p>She pulls one of her hands from her pockets with a candy cane between her middle and index fingers. Lin raises an eyebrow.</p><p>“Wait, no. This.”</p><p>Kya pulls out her other hand from its pocket holding a joint. Lin’s eyebrow reaches even higher, if that’s possible.</p><p>“Hopefully you can let it slide since your off duty tonight.”</p><p>Lin feels bad for hiding her own reason for being out here when the other woman is being so straightforward with her. “Are you kidding?” She sits down next to Kya, facing the middle of the amphitheater. “I was just wishing I had one myself.”</p><p>Kya looks over at Lin with questions in her eyes. But instead of asking any of them, she pulls a lighter from her chest pocket and offers both her hands out to her friend.</p><p>“I’ll let you have the first hit.”</p><p>Lin turns to face Kya. She thinks of leaving, heading off into the cold winter night the way she planned to. But instead, she holds out a hand. Kya smiles in a way that surprises Lin, like she’s told her she won the lottery. Lin wasn’t expecting that.</p><p>Before she can question it, Lin’s got the joint between her fingers and Kya moves down a tier in the amphitheater, resting a hand on Lin’s knee as she leans forward with the lighter.</p><p>“You might need to protect it from the wind. Be sure to breathe in.” Lin just nods, lost for words even if it weren’t for the spliff between her lips. Kya pushes down on the flint wheel of her lighter, sending little sparks arching off into the space between them. The space bridged by Kya’s hand on her knee, which is the only thing Lin can pay attention to.</p><p>She looks up from her lap to not be weird but finds herself looking down the joint – like she’s looking down the barrel of a gun – and down at Kya. The other woman is focused on her effort to bring a flame from the sparks. The wind is making it tough. Kya looks up at her as if to apologize and finds Lin already looking right back into her eyes.</p><p>They sit there together like that for a moment, Kya kneeling and holding the lighter to Lin, Lin turned down towards her and meeting her gaze. It feels like hours pass that way.</p><p>Then, Kya clears her throat and looks back to lighter. Lin closes her eyes and breathes in, stoking the flame once she finally gets it right. A few embers crackle and eventually fall into that space between them. Kya sits back up next to Lin, who’s still breathing in. Kya’s eyes widen a bit.</p><p>“That’s a big hit, Chief. You alright?”</p><p>Lin opens her eyes and exhales, the smoke sweeping past Kya and into the dark. Their gazes meet again, this time at eye level with each other. “I… wasn’t completely honest with you earlier, Kya.”</p><p>“Oh really?” She waggles her eyebrows. “So you do have someone to kiss at the end of the countdown!”</p><p>“What? No.” Lin blushes the way only Kya makes her. Of course she has to come in and joke the one time she’s trying to be vulnerable with her. The thought brings the corners of her mouth into a wry smile. “I meant my reason for being out here.”</p><p>Kya catches the change in her tone and scoots closer. “And what’s that?” Now that she’s this close, Lin can see her breath fog just before it’s whipped away into the dark, a mimic of the smoke pouring from her own mouth.</p><p>Lin has to take another hit before she answers. She can already feel her shoulders start to relax, and she’s not sure how much of that is the weed and how much of it is just how safe she feels around Kya. “I come out here before the countdown every year. Not sure why exactly I started doing it, but I’d just get the feeling that I needed to go. To be alone.” She shifts, and one of her metal heels clangs against the concrete of the step below. “To let them all be a family in there.”</p><p>“Lin.” Kya says her actual name, and she says it so gently and earnestly that it gives her pause. “You’re a part of this family. Is that really why you don’t stay in there?”</p><p>She isn’t used to this level of honesty, or someone honestly caring so much. “I suppose so. Seemed best to leave the actual big moment to those who are close. Not the outsiders, or pity-invites.” Oops. She didn’t mean to say that out loud.</p><p>“That’s not why you’re invited here, Lin.” Kya takes her free hand, and Lin can’t help but notice how cool it feels. Not freezing, but cold and smooth like a rock worn by the river. “I don’t pity you. I want you here.” She draws back. Lin nearly holds her hand there but lets it fall away. “But I’ll leave you be if you came out here to be alone.”</p><p>Kya stands, presses the lighter into Lin’s palm, and steps down the rows of the amphitheater to leave. She’s made it to the center when Lin finally finds her words.</p><p>“Stay.”</p><p>Kya turns and looks up at her, all metal armor among stone. “You mean that?”</p><p>Lin stands, and with each click of her boots down the stone steps Kya wonders what she’s say when she catches up to her. She finds herself holding her breath.</p><p>Lin walks until she’s a few feet away from Kya, keeping her distance the way she does with everyone.</p><p>“Why not. This’ll taste better with someone to share it with.”</p><p>Kya laughs, and Lin comes even closer now with a twinkle in her eye.</p><p>“And besides – ”</p><p>Lin wraps her arms around Kya’s waist.</p><p>“I think I might’ve found my midnight someone after all.”</p><p>This feels too good to be true. But rather than question it, Kya tangles her hands up in Lin hair in turn. They smile together, and their eyes close. Their parted lips meet as the bells in tower begins to chime, ringing in a new year. A year that would be the first of many they would spend together.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Happy 2021, everyone!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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